Moon Marooned

Today, in 1985, the Dallas Cowboys sacked Houston Oilers quarterback Warren Moon 12 times. It tied the all-time record for most team sacks in one game and was just the 5th time in NFL history that a team had recorded that many sacks in a single contest. The Cowboys won the game 17-10. While the feat is rare, that day in September was the second time in franchise history that the Cowboys had brought the opposing quarterback down that many times in one afternoon. The Cowboys recorded 12 sacks against the Pittsburgh Steelers in 1966. Since that game in 1966, hundreds of NFL games have been played. And, as mentioned earlier, just five games in NFL history have featured 12 sacks. So for the same team to establish the sacks record and then later tie that record is remarkable. Diving in further, three players recorded two sacks in that game vs. Houston. Dallas defensive tackle John Dutton was one of them. In the entirety of the 1985 season, Dutton had four sacks. And in the nearly three remaining seasons after that afternoon in his career he recorded just seven sacks. Too Tall Jones also had two in the game, but his is not as much as a statistical oddity like Dutton. Before Jones was making Geico commericals, he was eating quarterbacks for lunch. Also, in the 1985 season, Moon was sacked 46 times. That means, outside of the Dallas game that season, he was sacked 34 times. That statistic averages out to Moon being taken down for a loss just two times per contest. So the Cowboys were able to sextuple the average amount of times Moon was sacked per game. Not only was the Cowboys feat a rarity in football, but it was also a rarity in terms of Warren Moon, a typically mobile quarterback. On that night in September, the Oiler offensive line was virtually nonexistent against Dallas. Sources for this article: http://www.todayinsport.com/day/september/29 http://www.pro-football-reference.com/boxscores/198509290oti.htm http://www.nfl.com/history http://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/D/DuttJo00.htm http://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/M/MoonWa00.htm Photo: http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/slideshow/Former-Cowboys-greats-join-in-lawsuit-against-NFL-42029.php#photo-2855309

There's no Clock in Baseball!

"He hit a home run at the buzzer to win the game!"

You will never hear any baseball announcer or color commentator say this sentence. Baseball is one of the few sports that has no time limit. The game could last an hour or it could last five, you just never know. That's the beauty behind the sport. You're never out of time. There is always the hope of coming back. No clock is going to end a two-out rally in the bottom of the 9th. There's never the pressure of beating the clock. There's just you and three outs.

Having no clock adds and extra level of skill to the game. You can't just run out the clock to win. No, in baseball you have to work for it. You have to get those three outs. You have to play those nine innings, no matter how long it takes.

Today we'll turn back the clock to 1926. The St. Louis Browns (they became the Baltimore Orioles in 1953) beat the New York Yankees in a 55 minute game. The game was the first game of a double header and the Browns won 6-2.

How they managed to play nine innings in under an hour is a history mystery. Especially considering the second game of the double header took a much more reasonable two hours and seven minutes. Regardless, a game like this proves how anything is possible when there's no clock.

As impressive as this game is, it's not the shortest complete Major League Baseball game. On September 28, 1919 the New York Giants (later to move to San Francisco) beat the Philadelphia Phillies 6-1 in a 51 minute game.

Now, a day at the ball park is more of a day, as games take a little longer to play.

The longest game in MLB history was May 1, 1920 when the Brooklyn Robbins and the Boston Braves finally called a 26-inning game a tie. What's even more impressive about this game is that both pitchers threw all 26 innings!

On a more modern scale. On August 18, 2006, a game between the New York Yankees and the Boston Red Sox took four hours and 45 minutes to complete.

So, what's the force behind the varying lengths? Well, the biggest reason, as I've already mentioned is the clock. But, as you'll notice, the short games were both played in the early days. So, what has changed? Well for one thing, the games are now televised. This means there are commercial breaks and replays that take longer. In addition, baseball players now tend to take more time preparing for each pitch or each at bat. They are more methodical and each have their own way of doing things.

There's no saying how long a game will go, and that's part of the fun!

Sources:
Yahoo! Sports: The 10 Longest Extra-Inning Games http://goo.gl/KGZZ8
ESPN This Date in Baseball http://goo.gl/ci2en
Picture: jdbaseball.com

"The Babe" Says Goodbye

Today, in 1934, Babe Ruth played his final game at Yankee Stadium. A crowd of 2,500 people came to see Ruth make his final swings in Yankee Stadium. Ruth would retire a year later at the age of 40 as a Boston Brave. It goes without saying that Babe Ruth is a legend in baseball. He broke into the league in 1914 at age 19 as a member of the Boston Red Sox. As a member of the Red Sox, Ruth hit 49 home runs, 230 RBIs and had a batted with a .308 average. That was accomplished over the course of six years. However, what people most know "The Babe" for his career with the New York Yankees. In his 15 years as a Yankee, Ruth hit with an average of .349, drilled 659 home runs and drove in 1,971 RBIs. Ruth also won 4 of his 7 World Series rings as a Yankee and made two All-Star appearances with the team. Ruth currently sits 3rd on the career home run list with 714. Ruth is second on the list of most RBIs in a career, driving in more than 2200 runs. His achievements on the diamond got him named the greatest baseball player of all time by Sporting News, the greatest of the 20th century by Sports Illustrated. On this day, 74 years ago, those Yankee fans not only saw the dwindling of a career, but also the end of an era. Sources for this article: http://www.todayinsport.com/day/september/24 http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/r/ruthba01.shtml http://www.baberuth.com/ http://www.baseball-almanac.com/rb_menu.shtml Photo courtesy of http://ossports.homestead.com/BabeRuth/baberuth.html

Baseball Organized

Today, in 1845, organized baseball came to fruition. On September 23rd, 1845, the New York Knickerbockers create and put into effect rules for professional baseball. These regulations would be later identified as the "Knickerbocker Rules." They were as follows: "1ST. Members must strictly observe the time agreed upon for exercise, and be punctual in their attendance. 2ND. When assembled for exercise, the President, of in his absence, the Vice-President, shall appoint an Umpire, who shall keep the game in a book provided for that purpose, and note all violations of the By-Laws and Rules during the time of exercise. 3RD. The presiding officer shall designate two members as Captains, who shall retire and make the match to be played, observing at the same time that the player's opposite to each other should be as nearly equal as possible, the choice of sides to be then tossed for, and the first in hand to be decided in like manner. 4TH. The bases shall be from "home" to second base, forty-two paces; from first to third base, forty-two paces, equidistant. 5TH. No stump match shall be played on a regular day of exercise. 6TH. If there should not be a sufficient number of members of the Club present at the time agreed upon to commence exercise, gentlemen not members may be chosen in to make up the match, which shall not be broken up to take in members that may afterwards appear; but in all cases, members shall have the preference, when present, at the making of the match. 7TH. If members appear after the game is commenced, they may be chosen in if mutually agreed upon. 8TH. The game to consist of twenty-one counts, or aces; but at the conclusion an equal number of hands must be played. 9TH. The ball must be pitched, not thrown, for the bat. 10TH. A ball knocked out of the field, or outside the range of the first and third base, is foul. 11TH. Three balls being struck at and missed and the last one caught, is a hand-out; if not caught is considered fair, and the striker bound to run. 12TH. If a ball be struck, or tipped, and caught, either flying or on the first bound, it is a hand out. 13TH. A player running the bases shall be out, if the ball is in the hands of an adversary on the base, or the runner is touched with it before he makes his base; it being understood, however, that in no instance is a ball to be thrown at him. 14TH. A player running who shall prevent an adversary from catching or getting the ball before making his base, is a hand out. 15TH. Three hands out, all out. 16TH. Players must take their strike in regular turn. 17TH. All disputes and differences relative to the game, to be decided by the Umpire, from which there is no appeal. 18TH. No ace or base can be made on a foul strike. 19TH. A runner cannot be put out in making one base, when a balk is made on the pitcher. 20TH. But one base allowed when a ball bounds out of the field when struck." These rules have been amended over the years, as the game has changed and evolved. However, on that day in September in 1845, the foundation of baseball as we know it today came to form. Sources for this article: Rules courtesy of http://www.baseball-almanac.com/rule11.shtml http://www.todayinsport.com/day/september/23 Photo courtesy of http://flickrhivemind.net/User/Christina**/Interesting

The 'Unbreakable' Pete Rose

Let's all take a moment to thank the baseball gods for giving us Pete Rose.

The retired Cincinnati Reds player is one of the greatest ball players to ever play the game, racking up impressive stat after impressive stat and leaving some to question if his records will ever be broken.

Today, September 19, we open the SportsVault back to 1983, when Pete Rose hit the 100 hits mark for the 22nd consecutive year.

Reaching 100 hits is a big milestone in itself, but in this day and age it is far from uncommon. Nevertheless, the players who have reached 100 hits so far this season are some pretty common household names.
So far leading for the American league we have
1. Derek Jeter: 199
2. Miguel Cabrera: 189
3. Adrian Beltre: 175
4. Billy Butler and Alex Gordon: 173
5. Adam Jones: 169

And in the National League:
1. Andrew McCutchen: 182
2. Martín Prado: 174
3. Marco Scutaro: 173
4. Jose Reyes: 171
5. Ryan Braun: 170

So, its clear that reaching 100 hits is not what makes Pete Rose great. You could argue, it's his 22 year streak of reaching that milestone that makes him great, but I would go further than that.

What makes Pete Rose great is how many hits he has over his career. That's the record that's unbeatable.

In 1985 he broke Ty Cobb's hitting record. Yes, Ty Cobb, one of the greatest baseball players of all time. By the end of his career, Pete Rose had 4,256 hits to his name.

The only player of our time that's even coming close is Derek Jeter. Currently, Jeter has 3,287 hits. He's getting close, but close may not be enough. Pete rose reached his milestone at the young age of 24! Derrek Jeter is 38. Most baseball players don't play much more than 40. That means Jeter would have to accumulate almost 500 hits a season or play well into his 40s. We all know that no matter how healthy a guy may seem, the older they get the risk for career ending injury also increases. So while some may argue that Jeter has the ability to break the record, I'm afraid his age may be his Achilles heel.   Especially when you take into account that the 2012 season is almost done and Jeter has only 199 hits. In order to reach that 500 so he could break the record by his 40th birthday, Jeter would have to hit 301 more and with only 16 games left in the regular season ( there will probably be more as the Yankees are in first place in the AL east) this milestone isn't looking real likely for Jeter.

So, for now Pete Rose looks to remain unbreakable. His achievement isn't completely out of reach, but it is very hard to catch. We'll keep tipping our bats to you "Charlie Hustler."

P.S. A fun tidbit about our friend Pete Rose. His personal website offers a number of fine memorabilia products, but you could also purchase a dinner with Pete himself for the low, low price of $5000, or just slightly more than $1 a hit!

Sources:
Life.com: Unbreakable Baseball Records http://goo.gl/14iMB
Wikipedia Hitting Streak http://goo.gl/MzrHf
Baseball-almanac: Pete Rose http://goo.gl/eyX59
USA Today: 2012 Major League Baseball Leaders http://goo.gl/YZUrz
Baseball-reference: Career Leaders and Records for hits http://goo.gl/NebdX

Mickey Mantle: One of the Greats

September 18 was a big day for Mickey Mantle. On this day in 1956, he hit his 50th home run.
Then, almost 10 years later, in 1965 he played in his 2,000th game.

So, today we celebrate with you Mr. Mantle. You were a great ball player and September 18 was a great day for you!

Source: Creative Commons

New Home for the Dodgers

Today, in 1957, the Los Angeles City Council gives Chavez Ravine the OK as the new location of the Los Angeles Dodgers, then the Brooklyn Dodgers. Their was big controversy over this move, as many Mexican American immigrants were forced to leave the area to make way for the construction of Dodger Stadium. The Dodgers would move to Chavez Ravine and the new Dodger Stadium in 1958 and have played there over the last 54 years. When a team makes a move to a new city, it is fair to say that the club expects to benefit strongly from the change in scenery. Was this true for the Dodgers from a baseball standpoint? The Brooklyn Trolly Dodgers became just the Dodgers in 1911, 46 years before the move to Los Angeles. Over those four and a half decades, the Brooklyn Dodgers made 9 World Series appearances, winning their 1955 appearance. The team also saw 39 of their players enter the Hall of Fame. They also broke the color barrier in baseball with their signing of Jackie Robinson. How have the Dodgers fared in the 54 years since the move to Los Angeles? Well, the blue and white made 9 more World Series appearances and put 14 more athletes in the Hall of Fame. Solid numbers. The difference? 5 World Series titles have been won by the Dodgers since the move to LA. The Dodgers aren't the only team in baseball, or the state of California for that matter, to keep success alive after moving. The Oakland Athletics won five World Series titles in Philly, before moving to Kansas City and later to Oakland. The A's won four more titles by the bay. However, the Dodgers are the 1st team in baseball to spend a considerable amount of time in one area, relocate and be even more successful. Sources for this article: http://www.todayinsport.com/day/september/16 http://www.sportsecyclopedia.com/nl/bdodgers/brooklyn.html http://www.pbs.org/independentlens/chavezravine/index.html http://www.sportsecyclopedia.com/nl/ladodgers/ladodgers.html http://xfinity.comcast.net/slideshow/sports-franchises/10/ Picture via http://newspaper.li/la-dodgers/

Re-cycled: The Bob Watson Story

Today, in 1979, Bob Watson of the Boston Red Sox becomes the first player in Major League Baseball history to hit for the cycle in both the American League and the National League. A batter hits for the cycle when he or she hits a single, double, triple and a homerun in the same game. Bob Watson first hit for the cycle in 1977 with the Houston Astros of the National League. Two years later, he was the starting first baseman for the Boston Red Sox. On September 15, 1979, those Red Sox were taking on the Baltimore Orioles in Baltimore. The Red Sox would win 10-2, Watson driving in 2 of those runs in route to hitting for the second cycle of his career. So what does Watson's second cycle mean for baseball? In May of 1882, Curry Foley hit for the first cycle in major league history. Over the next 130 years, 271 more players would hit for the cycle. In the last five seasons alone, 26 players have pulled off the feat. However, only 28 players in the history of the game have hit a cycle more than once in their careers. That's just one tenth of all players to hit for the cycle. In addition, only five players in the history of Major League Baseball have hit more than one cycle and had all cycles come on a different team. Rounding up, that's two percent of all cycles. Needless to say, Bob Watson's 1979 cycle for Boston was an incredible feat. However, Watson no longer sits alone in his accomplishment. On June 16, 2001, John Olerud of the Seattle Mariners became the second player in history to hit for the cycle in both the American and National Leagues, 7,945 days after Watson's Red Sox cycle. Will we ever see another player hit a cycle for two different teams from two different leagues again? Well, baseball had to wait 95 years for it to happen once, and 21 more to see it again. So if you average those two periods out, keep your eyes peeled for the 2059 season (47 years from now) and we may just see a third player join Watson and Olerud. Sources for this article: http://www.baseball-almanac.com/feats/feats16d.shtml http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/1979/B09150BAL1979.htm http://www.retrosheet.org/cycles_chron.htm http://www.todayinsport.com/day/september/15 Photo from: http://www.astrosdaily.com/history/watson.html

Carl Yastrzemski

On this day in Sports History ....

...Carl Yastrzemski, Boston Red Sox, becomes the first player in the American League to reach 3,000 hits and 400 home runs in a career.

Picture: Creative Commons

In for the long haul: The Longest Touchdown Passes in the NFL

By Amanda Richardson

Welcome!

This is the first post of SportsVault, a blog that looks at the context of memorable sports moments.

Today we're opening the vault to this day (September 11) in 1999. Brett Farve and Robert Brooks, of the Green Bay Packers, completed a 99-yard touchdown to tie the record for longest touchdown pass in the National Football League.

Since then, the record has remained relatively untouched. There have been a few instances where interceptions or returns have resulted in longer touchdowns.

One such instance is Antonio Cromartie, then of the San Diego Chargers. He returned a missed field goal 109 yards for a touchdown in 2007. (1)

There are 17 records of touchdown scores that have come from more than 100 yards dating back to a Lions/Bears game in 1949! (1)

The statistics are clearly impressive, but let's take a closer look at how easy they would be to break or match.

A football field is 99 yards from endzone line to endzone line. This means, in order to break the record of 99 yards, the quarterback would have to be standing in the endzone. Since this will probably never happen given the way the game is played, it looks as if Mr. Farve is going to hold the top spot. If a quarterback did have the ability to throw that far, he could, at best, tie the record.

Now, how about Antonio Cromartie. He could see his record broken. When you include the endzones, a football field from out of bounds on one side to out of bounds on the other is 120 yards. Mathematically, this means there are 11 yards up for grabs. However, once a player crosses the end zone line, it becomes a touchdown. So in reality, there are only 110 yards, meaning there is only one extra yard available.  The probability of beating the record is low, but there is a chance it could happen given the right circumstances.

This situation brings up an interesting question about records. Sometimes they simply cannot be broken because there is nothing more. This is most likely the case with the Farve pass. It is almost impossible to break. If another player were to tie it, would he get to be the one associated with the record? In fact in this very instance, the 99-yard pass was a tie. The man who's original record was tied is relatively unknown. Even in ESPN's rating of Farve's top 10 career moments, there is no mention of who previously held the title. (2) If this trend continues, the next person to throw a 99-yard pass may "erase" Farve from the achievement. Is this fair? Should they all continue to hold the record or should just the most recent achievement get the glory?



Sources: 
Today In Sports History: September 11 http://goo.gl/iEyM9
(1)  Pro Football Hall of Fame: History Story: Reed rumbles 108 yards for NFL record ... http://goo.gl/3QXEB
(2) ESPN: Farve's Top 10 Career Moments http://goo.gl/6BCWG